Garin Fitter – Miss Me? – REVIEW

Garin Fitter is a singer-songwriter from Cardiff who has been creating music since late 2014, this year he released his debut album Miss Me? an album which tells a story of transformation, and with his acoustic pop style it promises to be a great album. But without further ado let’s break down Garin Fitter’s Miss Me?

Opening Miss Me? is Hey Mary. A song which starts with this simple yet well orchestrated instrumentation, the acoustic guitar sits well on top of the track with the subsequent instruments supporting the acoustic guitar and vocals. Soon Garin Fitter’s vocals come in to the track which add another layer to this opening number, the well delivered and constructed vocal melodies are well accompanied by the subtle yet effective vocal harmonies that are present on the song. As the song progresses the track takes a brief moment to show some dynamic change in which the track breaks down to a singular guitar and vocals which is a nice touch. Overall Hey Mary is a great opening track which opens up Miss Me? well.

Coming next from this album is a duo of tracks which starts with King Of The Jungle, similarly to this albums opener the track has this simple yet effective instrumentation which is powered along by the acoustic guitar and Garin’s vocal melodies. Whilst having the same instrumental make-up as the track before the song feels inherently different which is something that seems to come more with acoustic albums in which each track can be completely different. The second half of this duo is What Do You Do? a track which not only shows a shift in terms of dynamics but also presents a time signature change, both of these aspects are welcomed to the track and well executed not only through the far simpler orchestration but also through the simple yet careful vocal presentation.

The shortest cut off this album comes in the form of Far from This Town which boils down to Garin Fitter and an acoustic guitar. Far from This Town allows for a clear look at Garin’s vocals as they are the prominent feature of this cut, as the vocals and harmonies power on top of the track. Despite a well choreographed guitar part it feels lack luster in comparison to the fuller sound which exists on the tracks before.

Following from this fully acoustic cut is a trio of tracks which show a lot of dynamic difference. Starting off this trio is Dreaming Of Neverland, a song which has this slow and interesting guitar part which drags the song along this slow journey whilst Garin sings gently atop the track. This song similarly to Far from This Town is a simple acoustic cut however in comparison to the track which comes before the picked pattern adds to the track and allows for a far more interesting listen as the number continues.

The middle partition of this trio is Smile, a song which has a brisk tempo and instrumentation which feels closer to a soundtrack with the piano and drums driving the song whilst the vocals simply lay on top of what is an interesting track instrumentally. However, the vocals which sit on top of the track do fully tie the piece together as the elongated vocal notes add not only to the songs overall make-up but also atmosphere. The final part of this trio is Drained, this track despite the fuller sound is a little bit underwhelming. Despite the well orchestrated instrumentation the track seems to be missing something that is present on the tracks which come before on the record.

As Miss Me? starts to draw towards it close there is another duo of tracks. Sometimes Things Don’t Quite Work Out the Way You Thought They Would is the first of this duo and is unfortunately reminiscent of this track as despite well constructed vocal melodies, clever lyrics and moments of strong instrumentation there are moments where things start to feel a little messy and less cohesive as the could be. Despite this being the weakest cut off of the record it is in no way a bad track as it still does have positives.

The latter of of this duo is Quicksand which is the strongest cut track on the record as the instrumentation that carries the song is interesting and truly adds an extra layer to the overall make-up of the song, alongside this the vocals that are present on the song are not only well orchestrated but show a great amount of range. Quicksand also exhibits Garin Fitter’s ability to write what is a very cohesive and catchy track.

Rounding off this album by Garin Fitter is Portobello Road.This track is a great closer to this album due to it’s ability to encompass all the dynamics which are present from start to finish on this record. However it also allows for a few new ideas to be played with. Whether it be the gang vocals or the solo thast ends of the track Garin Fitter is still presenting new ideas even as the song draws to its close. Overall Portobello Road is a a strong track and rivals Quicksand for being the strongest cut on this record, as yet again the strength in not only vocals but also instrumentation is clearly present on this number.

Overall this album Miss Me? is a worthwhile listen, whether it be simply because you are in need of a new acoustic album or if you just want a great album to stick on front to back. Despite a few moments where the instrumentation is, for lack of a better term, ‘samey’ this album by Garin Fitter is a well written and orchestrated album which not only is ripe with well organised vocal performances but is also loaded with strong instrumentation. However knowing and taking in to account that this is his debut album it bodes well for what is to come. [7/10]